Alexander Young (A.Y.) Jackson

ALC CGP G7 OSA RCA RSA
1882 - 1974
Canadian

Rocky Mountain Sketch
oil on board, circa 1924
signed and on verso titled and dated 1914 on the gallery labels
8 1/2 x 10 1/2 in, 21.6 x 26.7 cm

CAD

Preview at: Heffel Toronto – 13 Hazelton Ave

PROVENANCE
McCready Galleries Inc., Toronto
Galerie d’art Michel Bigué, St. Saveur-des-Monts, Quebec
Private Collection, Toronto
Canadian Fine Art, Waddington's, Toronto, November 19, 2018, lot 12
Private Collection, Ontario

Although the subject of the Rocky Mountains is more synonymous with his Group of Seven compatriots Lawren Harris and J.E.H. MacDonald, in 1914, A.Y. Jackson became the first of the Group to paint there. Travelling at the invitation of fellow artist J.W. Beatty, the two were commissioned by the Canadian Northern Railway to paint the Rocky Mountains of Alberta and BC in and around the Jasper region. The company would go bankrupt, however, and the commission never came through. Perhaps out of frustration, Jackson then made the unfortunate decision to destroy most of the sketches he produced on the trip. The ascribed date for this work suggests this is one of the rare works which survived this fate. Interestingly, however, the style of this painting strongly suggests it is a depiction of the same area produced a decade later. In 1924, Jackson visited Jasper with Lawren Harris on what would be Harris’ very first trip to the Rockies. Together they painted stunning locales like Medicine Lake, this painting’s likely subject.

We thank Alec Blair, Director/Lead Researcher, Lawren S. Harris Inventory Project, for his assistance in researching the above essay.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars

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